Sketches
by pointofview360
Summary: Kagome gives Inuyasha a sketch book to work out his inner stresses. And believe it or not, he's good. Really good. But when Kagome finds the sketch book, what, or who rather, she finds pictures of may surprise her
1. A gift

sketches-

Disclaimer: oh lord. Do we really need to go though this? sighs ok…. Fine, however much I reallllllly want to, I don't own Inuyasha. That's Takahashi-sama's job.

"Inuyashaaaaaa!"

Kagome looked around for the annoying dog demon. She hadn't seen a trace of him since she'd come back, and that was very strange. Normally he was waiting for her by the well, screaming for her to hurry up so they could go chop up Naraku scum. But today he was no where to be found.

"INUYAAAASHAAAAAA!"

Still no answer.

Then an idea dawned on the girl. She stood up straight and laughed.

"INUYASHA, SIT BOY!"

There was a violent thud from behind a cluster of bushes.

"What the hell did you do that for!" Inuyasha popped his head out of shrub. His ears twitched in anger, but he spoke barely above a whisper.

Kagome blinked. "Uh, why are you whispering?" she asked, not even bothering to keep her voice down.

"Shhhhhhhh! Dammit, shut up will ya?" He glared at her as he made a slicing gesture across his throat.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "You're still not telling me why _you're_ whispering," she said, still ignoring his plea.

He was about to explain himself, but Shippo came running toward the pair. "There you are, Inuyasha! Now you can explain to me!"

Kagome's eye twitched. She had a bad feeling about this. " Explain what, Shippo?"

Inuyasha laughed nervously. "Eheheheheh, nothing, nothing at all! RIGHT Shippo?"

Shippo blinked at him curiously. "But you said you'd explain about-"

Inuyasha quickly covered his mouth. " About, uh, why Kaede is an old hag! Yeah! Well, Shippo, Kaede has lived since the beginning of time, and when you live that long, you get really, really ugly. And that's why she's a hag!"

"SIT BOY!"

thud

Kagome was fuming. She couldn't believe he was such a jerk! "Kaede is a respected elder of the village! People look up to her because of her wisdom! And who are you to talk about living since the beginning of time! You're technically older that she is!"

She swiftly picked up Shippo and started to walk off. "And to think I brought a gift for you, too!"

Inuyasha paused for a second, and then realized what the term "gift" meant.

Food.

"Hey! Wait! I'm sorry! What'd ya bring me? Curry? Ramen? Chicken? Oh, what about omlet?"

Kagome sighed and set Shippo down. "Go back to the village, this could get ugly," she whispered as he scampered off into the forest.

Once the fox was gone and out of earshot, she turned and faced the jerk begging for food.

"Is that all I am to you? A source of noodles?"

Inuyasha seemed to think for a moment, started to speak, then rethought his words. "Well, yeah. That and a jewel detector…"

Kagome's eyes widened. "YOU JERK! SIT! SITSITSITSITSITSITSITSIT!"

thudthudthudthudthudthud

"HERE! TAKE THIS!" She thrust a green book at his head. " EAT IT FOR ALL I CARE!"

And she stormed off to the village.

Inuyasha sat upright and rubbed his head where the hardback book had been chucked. "Damn, that girl has an arm on her." He picked it up from where it laid in the dirt, and opened the first page. In pretty calligraphy, was written,

_Dear Inuyasha,_

_You seem to spend all your time fighting, and you never stop to enjoy what's around you. This book is for you to draw stuff you see in. Things you think are pretty. Enjoy!_

_Love, _

_Kagome_

Taped to the inside of the book was a yellow stick with one pointed end, and one flat pink end. He stared at it for a while, then looked back to the note for guidance.

_P.S.- The yellow stick is called a pencil. You write with the pointed end, and if you mess up, you rub the pink end over the writing and it will go away. _

Inuyasha experimented with the "pencil", trying different ways to hold it, and when he finally found a comfortable grip, he began to draw….


	2. Thoughts

Sketches

Disclaimer: Ok, if I didn't own Inuyasha in the last chapter, I seriously doubt that I could possibly gain ownership of him in this one… I'm still not smart enough.

And may I apologize for not updating in an eternity. I have bunches of stuff going on, so it's a little hard to find time to sit down at the computer and write. But its summer now! So I'll have more time…. Hopefully.

So here it is, the long awaited (probably not, actually) Chapter 2!

Chapter 2-

Kagome Higurashi was mad.

No, the word "mad" did not do justice to the rage she felt as she stomped through the forest back to the village.

"Inuyasha is such a JERK! How dare he? I went through all that trouble to buy him that stupid sketch book and he calls me- TO MY FACE- a source of noodles and a jewel detector! Idiot! That thing cost a lot of yen too! I don't know why I bothered. As if that THING could have any talent other than stuffing his face and slaughtering things with multiple legs and eyes! URG!"

She paused as she came across the Sacred Tree. The same thoughts always seemed to race through her head every time she saw its weathered branches.

_This is the place where I first met Inuyasha. _

At one point, she had actually felt grateful to the tree for giving her the opportunity to meet the sarcastic dog demon. Some time ago, she had felt that beneath his rough exterior was a pretty good guy.

But right now, she quite frankly hated Inuyasha so much, she wanted to bring out a chainsaw and chop the damn tree down.

Due to lack of heavy machinery, she settled for shooting it a very dirty look and mumbling a few curses while continuing on towards the village.

She needed to talk to Sango.

meanwhile, up a tree in the forest----

Inuyasha reclined against the tree branches. This "drawing" thing was really easy. Just see an image, and then move your hand to the shape of it. Easy. Then if one part is darker than another, you color in a little bit. Still easy.

He had been drawing random objects in nature for the last 45 minutes now; Trees, the pond, a few flowers here and there. But the work was getting boring, and he felt the need to truly challenge himself. He scanned his mind for something to draw; anything that had some significance to who he was.

And then it hit him:

Kagome.

Even though he treated her like crap most of the time, he thought very highly of her. She was very strong willed, had a good sense of humor, and put up with him all the time.

She would be perfect.

But he couldn't just go up and ask her to sit still while he drew her. That would be awkward, and by the way she "sat" him a few minutes ago…. He shuddered and tried not to think about it.

Inuyasha sat and thought. Maybe he could just try to remember what she looked like. That might work. Now he just needed a good moment to remember…

Perfect. That night a few weeks ago when they had watched the fireflies on the hill.

He closed his eyes and thought hard, and memories of that night came flooding back to him.


	3. memories

Sketches

Disclaimer- This is really getting annoying. Do I really have to explain to you people every chapter that I am and idiot and do not have the brain capacity to come up with something as brilliant as Inuyasha? You are just reminding me how lowly I am. sulks in corner

So yeah, its already chapter 3! Everyone can clap for me now!

silence…

crickets chirp…

Well…. that wasn't nice.

But seriously, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS! throws party! YAY! keep sending please!

Chapter 3-

"_Inuyasha!"_

_He glanced up from his grilled fish on a stick to look at Kagome. The festival was going great. Sango and Kagome had gotten to go shopping ( as much as the group's funds could afford), and Miroku got to flirt with many women (and got smacked just as many times for it). Shippo got to play with kids his own age for a change, and Inuyasha got to do one of his favorite things: eat. "Whaddya want, Kagome?" he asked through a mouth full of trout. _

_Kagome laughed at the sight of the tough hanyou with a stick hanging on the side of his lower lip. "I just want to show you something. Will you come with me?"_

_Inuyasha cocked an eyebrow. It was getting dark; the sun was just about to set. What could she possibly want to show him now, just as he was about to get more food? Mumbling under his breath, he got to his feet and took Kagome's out-stretched hand._

_---- later ----_

_Inuyasha was getting tired of walking. It was dark now, and an almost full moon shone brightly overhead. They'd been walking for almost half an hour, and were well away from all the noise of the festival. Kagome just kept going, skipping and laughing as she weaved through the tall, overgrown grass._

_He had to admit, she did look pretty tonight. Since it was a special occasion, she had ditched her usual school outfit and donned a beautiful red-orange kimono with a sakura tree pattern on it. Her hair was done up with two ornate looking pins, and her eyes twinkled in the hint of moonlight. _

_Inuyasha looked away with a slight blush on his cheeks and continued walking. He was quite relieved when she finally came to a stop. _

_They were at the top of a gently sloping hill, overlooking a small pond. In the little light he had, Inuyasha could make out lily pads floating gently on top of the water. _

"_Look!" Kagome pointed and Inuyasha's eyes followed until he realized why she was so excited._

_Fireflies. And lots of them. _

_There had to be at least a good twenty of them. Their gentle glow reflected off the water as they danced across the night sky. _

_Kagome sat down and propped her chin in her hands. "It's…Beautiful!"_

_Inuyasha sat down beside her and nodded. "Yeah."_

_---- later still----_

_Kagome sighed. This was the perfect moment; sitting out here in the open, just watching the stars and the fireflies. She and Inuyasha hadn't had a moment alone together like this in a long, long time. She wanted it to never end. She rolled over off her back to face him. "Hi," she said, for the sole purpose of making conversation. _

_He chuckled and rolled over as well. "Hi."_

"_It's late… Maybe we should go back?" Kagome wished she could take back those words. She didn't want to go back. She wanted to stay here…with him._

_To her great joy, he shook his head. "Nah, they'll figure it out. We should just camp out here. If we head back now, we'll wake everyone up."_

_She giggled and poked his chest. " Since when were you Mr. Considerate? Last time I checked, you don't care if other people get their sleep, as long as you get yours."_

_He scowled. "I'm not that bad-," he paused and his expression changed from anger to a hint of disappointment. "Am I?"_

_Kagome wanted to kick herself for teasing him. "I was kidding! Of course you're not bad. You're a great guy!" She mentally slapped herself in the face. Good job you moron! now he feels bad!_

_Inuyasha immediately became very fascinated with a stray twig in front of him. "Well-er, um… you're uh… You're a great guy -er, I mean girl…too."_

_He looked back up at her when he said the word "too" and Kagome's heart melted. It was all she could do to keep from jumping on top of him and embracing him in a huge hug. _

_Just then, there was a gust of air. The chilly breeze swept down upon the couple laying in the grass, and Kagome shivered. _

"_You're cold," Inuyasha stated bluntly._

_Kagome shivered again. "N-no I'm n-n-not." The feeble attempt at an argument was crushed by her chattering teeth. _

"_Come here," Inuyasha stated as he grabbed her wrist to pull her to him._

_Kagome tried to refuse. "B-but I'm n-n-not-" _

"_Cold" is the word she meant to say, but she simply couldn't finish her sentence. Inuyasha had pulled her up against him, and he wrapped his arms around her back. _

_Awkward. Kagome's brain screamed this one thought as her cheeks began to match his haori. Very, very awkward. _

_She could feel his breath, warm against her ear. His strong arms, encircling her and protecting her… Don't do anything stupid, Higurashi! He doesn't like you that way!_

_Inuyasha sighed. " Good night Kagome…"_

_Kagome tried to sputter out a plausable goodnight as well. "G-good night, Inuyasha… sweet dreams."_

_And the couple fell asleep in the warm glow of the fireflies and the moon. _

_-------------_

Sango sighed. "So that's what happened that night. I was wondering what exactly had went on between you two."

"Huh? Oh, no it was nothing like THAT!" Kagome giggled as she turned a bright shade of pink. "But I don't like him. He's a jerk. He's a smart ass. And I don't like him. In fact, I can't stand that no good-"

"Did you ever think that maybe it hurts so much when he is mean to you because you DO like him?"

Sango smiled gently. " I know you think it's impossible, but I believe that Inuyasha really does care for you. He just doesn't know how to show it. And I know you don't want to admit it now, but you care for him, too. Don't worry, he'll figure himself out eventually."

Kagome looked up at her friend. For being only about one year older than herself, Sango was much wiser than she was. Kagome looked up to her as a friend, and almost like an older sister.

"Thanks Sango. Do you mind if I spend the night with you tonight? I'm a little upset about this whole ordeal…"

Sango nodded. "Sure. You can head back to your time tomorrow and sort things out. But for now, just get some sleep."

In the forest----

Inuyasha was in a frenzy.

Drawing Kagome was great; wonderful even, and he just couldn't stop. He soon found himself drawing more and more pictures of her in various poses; eating, sleeping, laughing. She was so easy and… relaxing to draw. her hair flowed right out of the pencil onto the paper, her eyes sparkled without much shading, and her slender figure just looked right on the paper.

Turning back to the firefly picture, he sighed. She had looked really pretty that night.

He remembered how excited she was when she first saw the fireflies. He chuckled when he thought about how she rolled over just to say hi. He shuddered when he remembered how hard he had tried not to loose his cool when he had pulled her close to him.

And then he recalled the previous events of the day.

"_Is that all I am to you? A source of noodles?"_

_Inuyasha seemed to think for a moment, started to speak, then rethought his words._

"Well, yeah. That and a jewel detector…" 

Ouch.

Kagome was probably raging mad right now. In all honesty, he was afraid to go near her because he figured that she would "sit" him some more, just for fun.

"I guess I'll sleep up here then," he said to no one in particular. He leaned up against the tree and wiggled to get comfortable.

In minutes, he was asleep.

later that night----

snoooooooooore

Inuyasha rolled slightly over, and the sketch book came tumbling to the ground….

Unbeknownst to him.


	4. Findings

Sketches

Disclaimer: well, after 4 chapters, I STILL do not own Inuyasha, try as I might, and I am STILL not smart enough to ever create something as genius as a hot bishie demon who becomes even hotter when there's a full moon. (I have a strange obsession with human Inuyasha. Its kinda like my other strange obsession with shiny things, only way, wayyyyy worse.)

First of all, thank you so much for all your really nice reviews! I don't deserve all of your kind words. Thank Takahashi-sama for developing such awesome characters to work with.

Second, a big big thanks should go out to anyone who has read my Spiral fic (Hiyono's hidden talent). And if you don't watch spiral, go out and buy the first 4 dvds now. (I mean it! stop reading and go! Spiral is way more important than chapter 4)

And third, an even BIGGER thanks goes out to my buddies Chia (that's not her real name….) and Illista (that's not her real name either…) You guys totally rock. Chia is the reason I get all of your cool reviews (she forwards them to me because my parental controls suck and I used her e-mail to register), and Illista is a refreshing source of sarcasm and black humor (she's one of those people you just think are hilarious because they're so cynical. Think Hiei, only a girl.)

And now, without further ado, I present to you….

CHAPTER 4!

audience throws tomato-

mousie cries- THAT WASN'T NICE!

chapter 4---

It's amazing how a good night's sleep can ruin a perfectly bad mood.

Kagome awoke refreshed, recharged, and not the least bit angry with Inuyasha anymore. Her conversation with Sango the night before had helped clear her head and made her realize that she was being unreasonable. She shouldn't have gone off on Inuyasha like that. After all, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me." However untrue the saying was, Inuyasha was just being himself; rude and arrogant. If anything, Kagome felt guilty for making such a scene.

She propped herself on her elbow and realized Sango, Miroku and Shippo were still asleep. All three of them were bound to be very tired; Sango had talked with Kagome until very late, and Miroku and Shippo were gone hunting until just after the girls had decided to go to bed. Creeping out of her sleeping bag, Kagome decided it was best to let them sleep. She had already caused them enough trouble for one day.

She quietly scribbled a note to Sango, saying that she was headed back to her own time (and that she had left some Ramune for them on the table), and stepped out side the straw screen.

It was hardly even dusk; the sun had just barely creeped over the horizon, creating a beautiful arc of red and orange across the sky. A few birds were chirping quietly, and the snores of Miroku and Shippo could be heard all the way outside the hut.

Kagome sighed. –I guess I'd better get going. I don't want to confront Inuyasha now; I need to think of a way to apologize to him first. If I hurry, I can make it to the well before he wakes up and starts looking for me.-

She ran off towards the forest, but stopped in front of the sacred tree. She really did appreciate the huge foliage; she felt that it could somehow understand humans and could feed off of their feelings. It was a truly remarkable tree. She mentally apologized to it for her earlier behavior, and decided it wouldn't kill her to stop there for a minute.

She plopped down on the ground in front of the tree, not bothering to check for bugs or twigs. She was used to sitting in dirt now. She leaned her head back against the trunk and looked up at the leaves dangling from the branches. _I remember doing this when I was little; before the gate around the tree had been built. It's so relaxing to just watch the leaves gently sway in the breeze. They're so fragile and small- Hey what the heck is that?_

Her eye caught on a big blob on top of one of the branches.

_What IS that thing! _

_A squirrel? No, its too big…_

_A snake? No, its too fat…_

And then she noticed dog ears.

While Kagome was never a large user of profanity, she felt that this was just the right occasion for some.

"Oh SHIT!"

A few birds scattered, and a small snort came from Inuyasha up in the tree to signal he was waking up.

Kagome panicked. _Oh crap! I woke him up! I've gotta run! NOW!_

She ran off in the direction of the well, only to trip over something and fall face first into a pile of dirt. Not stopping to see what had tripped her, she picked it up (for her own curiosity later) and ran like hell.

In the tree previously mentioned----

"Oh SHIT!"

Inuyasha cracked open his eyes. _Perfect. Just perfect. It's every guy's dream to wake to a girl screaming "Oh SHIT!" first thing in the morning…. _

And then he caught himself.

Girl Kagome

Scream trouble

Girl + Scream Kagome in trouble!

"KAGOME!" He jumped down from the tree, and found no one there. _That's funny… By the volume of the sound, I could have sworn it was coming from down here… And I don't smell her…. Hm. guess I was imagining things._

And then another horrific thought caught him.

The sketchbook.

Where was it! He had it last night with him! He was certain of it!

_Maybe it rolled out while I was asleep… Yeah, that's it. Its just on the ground here somewhere. _

He calmly searched around for it on the ground around the tree. Then he nervously searched again.

Upon not finding it, he panically ran around the tree looking for some source of paper, pencil, eraser shavings even.

Nothing.

_So what the hell could have happened to it! I mean it was right here! It should have been on the ground! _

And then his mind convienetly filled in the gaps.

_-Sketch pad falls on to ground. _

_-wake up to screaming girl who sounds like Kagome._

_-look for Kagome and she's not here._

_-look for the sketch pad and it's not here._

_Kagome took the sketch pad?_

_wait a sec… KAGOME TOOK THE SKETCH PAD!_

"KAGOME! KAGOME! COME BACK HERE! I NEED THAT THING BACK!"

He ran off in the direction of the village…

Only to find that she had left.

"What the hell do you mean she already left?"

Sango sighed. He was so hopeless sometimes.

"Exactly what it sounds like, Inuyasha. She. Already. Left. "

Inuyasha's face turned a bright red. Sango couldn't tell if he was mad or embarrassed. "Dammit! I need to find her!"

He sprinted out the door and both Sango and Miroku chuckled.

He was so transparent.

In Kagome's room----

"I can't believe that jerk! He just left my gift to him laying in the dirt! Idiot!"

She plopped down on her bed and brushed the sketch book off. It probably wasn't even worth looking at, but the pencil was very, very dull. Maybe (but probably not) he had actually used it?

She opened the front cover and let out a tiny gasp.

"Oh… My god…."

There was the sacred tree, sketched to perfection. Every leaf, every piece of bark, every twig was there on the paper. It was beautiful artwork…

Did Inuyasha do this?

He was the only one who had access to it. She distinctly remembered chucking it at his head and mentally telling him to go to hell! ( A/N: But not literally, because this is a InuKag fic!)

But Inuyasha can't draw like this!

…

Can he?

Eager to see more, Kagome flipped to the next page. Beautiful flowers and a sketch of the lake that Sango and she bathed in so often. She turned the page again… and her eyes widened drastically.

It…. Was of her….

A sketch of herself! In the kimono from the night she had watched the fireflies with him!

Now she was positive. Inuyasha had drawn this.

Kagome was flattered. No one had ever taken enough interest in her to draw her. But quite frankly, the thought of Inuyasha sketching her scared her. She realized that to have drawn this, he would have to focus on a single image. And in this case it was Kagome.

And she wasn't so sure she liked being focused on.

She continued to turn the pages, only to find more sketches of herself. Different poses, different events, but all of her.

But it was the last picture that she loved…. and was scared of the most.

It was of Inuyasha. And her. Together sitting on a hill.

In the picture, Kagome's head was gently resting on Inuyasha's shoulder, and Inuyasha's arm was wrapped possessively around her. Fireflies were dancing around them… Just like that night.

Kagome soon found herself blinking back tears. Her heart wanted to explode. _If only… If only that was how it really was between us… I really do love him. I do! But he doesn't love me. This is probably just a piece of art to him… a sketch. A picture made up of lines and shapes. How could it be-I be- anything else?_

"After all… I'm just a jewel detector to him. Nothing more."

"No you're not."

Kagome gasped and looked up at her window to see a very solemn faced hanyou staring back at her.


	5. Surprises

Sketches

Disclaimer: In this, the final chapter of "sketches", do I still need to remind you people that I am not the owner of the brilliant anime and manga Inuyasha? While Inuyasha maybe a wonderful artist, (riiiiiiight. only in this fanfic) I am not. And I suck at character development. So lets go through this one more time. I. Don't. own. Inuyasha. Get it?

Wow everybody! it's the last chapter! It's a bittersweet feeling for me, because it's the end of my first multi-chapter fic, and it was really fun to write. Thank you for all of your awesome reviews! keep 'em coming.

Now, I still would like to ESPECIALLY thank my good friend chia, (that's STILL not her real name. it hasn't changed since chp. 4) for forwarding me all of your reviews. I have about 60 on this one fanfic alone, so she's getting a little miffed at me. I quote," this is the only e-mail I get these days. I feel so …. used!" Chia, you know I love you and so does everybody else. So hey people reading this fic! CLAP FOR CHIA AND HER TOLERANCE FOR LOTS OF E-MAILS!

I also forgot to mention someone in chapter 4. My friend ducky ( her parents are not morons and did not name her ducky.) has been a wonderful influence on me, while I have been not such of a good one on her. In fact, I have corrupted her. But she's an awesome drummer, and you should all clap for her too. CLAP FOR DUCKY AND HER UNHEALTHY OBSESSION WITH THE BEATLES! (she's the next Ringo, y'all.)

and Illista, too. can't leave her out. yay sarcasm and being cynical. CLAP FOR ILLISTA AND HER PUEBLO! (insider. just clap and smile and look happy)

and now, without further procrastination on my part… wait hold on… -runs to get buffalo wings- ok, NOW without further procrastination on my part, I present to you….

THE FINAL CHAPTER!

chapter 5----

Some people like to be surprised. They find it all in good fun to have the crap scared out of them by one or more people.

Kagome was not one of those people.

Upon seeing Inuyasha at her window, she fell off of the bed and smacked her head against her desk. Rubbing her head, she stared back up at the silver-haired dog demon who was frozen at his perch on her window. He didn't move or flinch, and he didn't take his eyes off of Kagome for one second.

"I-Inuyasha…. Why… What are you doing here?" Kagome sputtered out, still not over the shock of Inuyasha being here. And what about what he had said? she replayed the scene in her mind.

_Kagome soon found herself blinking back tears. Her heart wanted to explode. If only… If only that was how it really was between us…- I really do love him. I do! But he doesn't love me. This is probably just a piece of art to him… a sketch. A picture made up of lines and shapes. How could it be-I be- anything else?-_

"_After all… I'm just a jewel detector to him. Nothing more."_

"_No you're not."_

What had he meant by that? Why was he taking back his words now, after all the times he'd called her his jewel detector before? Why was he doing this to her? Was he trying to get her hopes up, just so he could crush them again by running back to Kikyo? Why?

Inuyasha looked down at his feet, then slid all the way in the room. "I needed to talk to you."

Kagome blinked. This was new. Very new. Since when did he _need_ to talk to her? When did he start caring about what she said? Picking herself up off the floor and sitting down on the bed, she tried to remain rational. "Um… Okay… What do you want to talk about?"

He merely walked over, sat down on the bed next to her and picked up the sketch book. Pointing a claw at the cover, he sighed and said, "This."

Kagome blushed. _Oh lord, this isn't going to be fun. Just stay cool, Higurashi. He's just gonna tell you that he doesn't like you in that way. Just don't do anything stupid._

Inuyasha took a deep breath. How was he supposed to explain that he wasn't crazy? He shuddered to think about how bad this looked to her right now. _She probably thinks I'm a pervert_. Closing his eyes, Inuyasha began.

"I'm sorry if I offened you. I didn't mean to seem like a stalker or anything…And I know that's the way that it looks." He paused to see her reaction.

She merely nodded.

"I, uh, was thinking about what I said to you yesterday."

Kagome was intrigued. Inuyasha had never really talked openly like this before. He'd always been a closed book to her; locking his emotions behind a door. And every once in a while, she'd be able to see a little bit of them through a peek hole. But then the image would go blury and she'd be completely shut out again.

But this time was different. He was speaking openly; actually _talking _to her. She nodded to show she was listening.

"It was wrong. You mean… Much more to me than a jewel detector. Much more." He reached over and gently took her hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"I realized last night that you… Ah crap, I'm not good with sentimental stuff. Kagome, I don't feel right when you're not around. When you get mad at me like you were yesterday, I want to try to make it up to you…" He looked down at the floor again.

"But I can't."

And Kagome swore she saw a tiny tear run down his cheek.

He seemed so distraught. Like the time when his demon form had took over and he had slain all the villagers. He spent hours trying to get the smell of their blood off of his hands… but he couldn't. She remembered wanting to do something -anything- to help comfort him. To take away some of his pain.

And it was the same now.

"Kagome, I can't make it up to you because I'm… dammit Kagome I'm scared. Ever since Kikyo was resurrected, I've spent all of my time asking – pleading – for her forgiveness. Forgiveness for something that wasn't even my fault. Something that I didn't even do. And she still hates me."

Looking up into her eyes, he continued. "It's like…. every time I try to make up for something, I always get rejected…. Like the time when I went full demon and slaughtered all those people. I tried to get their blood off of my hands; I tried I really did. But it was still there. I couldn't repent."

Kagome felt tears tingling her eyes. He had to go through so much. Why hadn't he opened up to her sooner? She wanted to help him, but she couldn't if she didn't know what was wrong.

"I guess… Those pictures were my way of making it up to you. For all the crap you do for me… And all the stuff you go through… even though you could just stay here and forget we existed."

Kagome felt the tears running freely now. "I-Inuyasha… You don't have to 'make it up to me'. You will always have my forgiveness. You never need to ask. Ever. I can't be mad at you for too long… I need to be by your side."

Before she could blink, his arms were firmly around her in a fierce hug. " Thank you, Kagome. Thank you so much…"

She hugged him back and cried onto his shoulder until it was covered in salty tears.

5 minutes later---

Kagome had composed herself. It was always nice to have a good cry. You came out feeling refreshed afterwards. And things always got better from there. Always.

"KAGOME! HURRY UP!" Inuyasha was outside waiting for her to come back to the feudal era. After his emotional breakthrough, he was back to his arrogant self.

She sighed and slung her yellow backpack over her arm. Even though he put on a tough exterior, he really was a very good guy. A great guy, actually. "I'm coming, I'm coming!"

feudal era -------

"Hey."

Kagome looked over at Inuyasha. She had stopped in front of the sacred tree. "I was wondering. The last picture in the sketch book…. Can I have it?"

He turned around and smirked. "Actually, I think I have one you'll like better." He dug around in his haori and pulled out a folded sheet of white paper.

Handing it to her he said, " Remember what Shippo was wanting me to explain yesterday? I told you it was about Kaede being a hag, but he really wanted me to explain about this."

Kagome carefully unfolded the paper and…

"Oh… My… God."

Her face turned a dark shade of red, but she continued to stare at the paper.

It was her and Inuyasha again. Only this time…

Kissing. In front of the sacred tree.

Kagome was so caught up putting all her thoughts straight that she didn't notice Inuyasha creep up in front of her and gently pull the sketch down with one claw. "Well… Do you like it?"

Her face turned even darker red. "Well, um, it's – I mean, er, I-"

Before she could finish, he had leaned down and kissed her mid-sentence.

She could feel his lips curve into a smile against her own, and she couldn't help but smile, too. for he had absolutely no idea how long she had been waiting for him to do that.

The sketch fluttered to the ground, forgotten by the couple, and lay basking in the light of the sun.

Forever a reminder of the events that happened that day.

Owari! -----

Notes: well, that was a really crappy ending. sorry guys. I'm like inuyasha: not good with mushy stuff. In fact, my stomach was in knots when I was writing the part about the smiling while kissing thing. I don't know about you guys, but I just find it hard to write that kind of stuff! Sorry! I'm trying to get used to it.

To give you something to look forward to, I'm going to start a Sango+Miroku fic soon. (did anyone know that Sango could play the flute? and that Miroku LIKES flutes? lol.)

see y'all later!


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